Printing wheel for package marking equipment



Oct. 4, 1966 J, MCKAY 3,276,357

PRINTING WHEEL FOR PACKAGE MARKING EQUIPMENT -Filed June 1, 1964 United States Patent 3 Claims. (Cl. 101-111) This invention relates generally to a rotary printing wheel mounting adjustable printing units at spaced locations adjacent the periphery thereof and more particularly, relates to improvements in the construction of the adjustable printing unit used in such wheels.

The herein invention is concerned specifically with improvements in the kind of adjustable printing unit described and illustrated in my US. Patent No. 2,634,676 and referred to commonly as a numberer. Said numberer, which is identified generally by reference character 62 in said patent, contains a plurality of rubber type bands each having a selected series or sequence of numerical or alphabetical character type faces. These bands also can be provided in special combinations of numerals or letters. The bands are each mounted over a curved bridge member at one end of the numberer unit and a friction wheel freely rotatable on an axle and having a protruding knurled flange for selectively turning the wheel to change the face of the character of indicia positioned on the bridge for printing in a conventional manner. Notably, the curved bridge had a curvature which conformed to the curvature of the pair of circular discs between which the numberer unit was mounted. Since the bridge was curved, the distance between the shaft or axle mounting the friction wheels and the bridge varied substantially along the axis of the shaft. To keep the printing bands under uniform tension, some means had to be provided to compensate for this variation of distance. My patent accomplished this by enabling certain of the friction wheels to be revolved eccentrically with respect to others, notably, the center wheels of the set of four shown in FIG. 7 of my patent.

Other attempts to eliminate this problem have considered use of a curved shaft mounting the friction wheels. This however, has resulted in tilting or cocking of the friction wheels with attendant irregularity in the type face on the curved bridge and binding of the friction wheels on the shaft so that changes in type face could not be made. The problem is further complicated by the fact that the size of these numberer units vary. For instance, numberers using four or six bands are available. Also, the diameter of the printing wheel in which the numberer is used varies between models so that the curvature of the bridge used will vary accordingly. Consequently, the practice has been to use friction wheels of uniform diameter for all sizes of printing wheels. This procedure has been deemed advisable because of the necessity and/or desirability of changing bands. Consequently, uniform diameter or size friction wheels were employed substantially universally for what was believed to be customer convenience. However, under the circumstances, some means had to be employed for compensating for the variation in distance previously mentioned with attendant additional cost.

Accordingly, the primary object of this invention is to provide a printing wheel of the character described mounting an adjustable printing unit in which the friction wheels have different diameters for accommodating the rubber type bands and a straight axle is used for mounting said wheels whereby no special compensating means as previously discussed is required.

Another object of the invention is to provide a printing wheel of the character described in which said friction Wheels of the numberer unit are provided in sets of pairs of wheels for use in combination with a bridge of prede- "ice termined curvature, the wheels of a particular pair being of identical diameter albeit the sets of pairs of wheels being of different diameter, the diameters of the wheels installed in a numberer unit being larger from the center outwardly toward the opposite ends of the shaft mounting the friction wheels of the numberer unit.

Other objects of the invention reside in economy of manufacture, ease of stocking and supplying parts for said numberers, the simple manner in which type band changes can be made, and more efficient operation of the numberer, all engendered by my novel improvements in the printing wheel of the character described.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing disclosures in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is described in detail in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing. Minor variations in construction and arrangement of parts may occur to the skilled artisan without departing from the scope or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is side elevational view of a printing wheel.

embodying the invention in a representative package marking installation.

'FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section of view taken through one of the numberer units to show structural details.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through said numberer unit along the line 33 and in the general direction indicated.

Referring now to the drawing, the printing wheel embodying the invention is designated generally by the reference character 20 in FIG. 1. The printing wheel is illustrated operatively installed for marking each one of a line of packages 22 moving continuously past the Wheel on a conveyor designated generally 24. Also shown in FIG. 1 is a printing assembly mounted on the conveyor 22 and this assembly may include a C-clamp 26 of a conventional structure, a bracket 28 attached to the clamp 26 and extending upwardly above the conveyor. A frame 30 is attached to the bracket which may be rotatable on the bracket 28.

The frame 30 consists of two identical plates such as the plate 32 seen in FIG. 1, the plates 32 being held together in a spaced apart assembly. The inking wheel 34 is rotatable on shaft 36 journalled at opposite ends thereof in the upper slots 37 opening to the perimeters of the plates 32. The printing wheel 20 is freely rotatable on a shaft 38, the opposite ends of which are secured in the lower slots 39. As is well understood, the wheels 20 and 34 are adjustable in their position, one relative to the other by adjusting the relative positions of shafts in the slots 37 and 3&7 respectively.

With the exception of the printing wheel 20 which will be described in detail hereinafter, the component parts of the carton marking system are generally described are conventional and in this respect, recourse to my Patent No. 2,634,676 is recommended for a more detailed discussion of the general system.

The printing wheel 20 is intended to carry a plurality of numberers of identical construction so that for purposes of this disclosure, the numberer representative of the invention is designated generally 40. The wheel 20 is formed by a pair of identical circular plates or discs 42 retained in spaced apart assembly by suitable spacers, such as 44, and the shaft 38 mounting said plates. The perimeters 45 of the plates 42 are knurled or milled for obtaining a better purchase on a package 22 as the wheel 20 rolls over the same in normal operation of the marking system. The plates 42 have .a pair of aligned rectangular openings, such as 46, in association with which there is mounted 'a numberer 40 between the plates 42.

Understandably, there will be a pair of aligned openings 46 for each numberer 40 carried by the printing wheel 20. The pair of aligned openings 46 is spaced inwardly of the knurled edges '45.

Each numberer 40 has a substantially U-shaped metal frame 48 provided by a pair of parailel legs 49 connected by the base or web 50. The numberer 40 is mounted between the plates 42 so that the frame 48 borders three sides of a rectangular opening 46 and the numberer faces in a radially outward direction with the thickness of the frame 48 between the facing circumferential surfaces of the plates 42. Across the free ends of the legs 49 is mounted a curved bridge member 52 of channel-shaped cross-section. The bridge part 52 has flanges 54 at opposite extremities thereof which are engaged with the free ends of the legs 49 to fix the configuration of the frame 48.

The frame 48 mounts a plurality of friction wheels and printing bands or strips secured between said friction wheels and the curved bridge part 52 in accordance with this invention which engenders the important advantages thereof. Mounted between the legs 49 is a straight shaft 56, the shaft 56 having each of its ends 57 provided with an annular groove 58. The ends 57 are journalled in bearing openings 60 provided in the legs 49, the grooves 58 each having the marginal edge of an opening 60 therein so that the shaft 56 is readily removable from between the legs 49. The shaft 56 carries the friction wheels 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 and 66 having the same diameter mounting holes for shaft 56 as seen at H in FIG. 2, each having the usual knurled flanges 67, 68, 69, 70, 71 and 72 respectively. Between the Wheels 63 and 64 is a spacing washer 73. Rubber printing bands or strips 74, 75, 76, 77, 78 and 79 are carried by the respective wheels, each band being endless and extending around the respective friction wheel and the bridge 52. The bands all carry rubber type for printing alphabetical characters, numerals or whatever special indicia or combination of indicia desired, the indicia being designated 80. As seen in FIG. 3, the diameter of a flange 70 is greater than the width of frame 48 so as to extend through aligned openings 46 beyond the plates 42 respectively. Thus, the flanges 70, as is the case with the other flanges also, can be manipulated for changing the face of type 80 positioned on bridge 52 for printing. As further noted from FIG. 3, the type 80 on bridge 52 projects a small distance beyond the knurled edges 45 of the discs 42 so that an imprint can be applied to the surface of package 22 against which the type 80 is pressed when the printing wheel is rotated by movement of the package 22 on the conveyor 24, in a well known manner.

The friction wheels 61-66 are freely rotatable on the shaft 56. As noted from FIG. 2, the distance normal to the shaft axis from the extremities of shaft 56 to the bridge part 52 diffens at the said ends as compared to the medial portion of the shaft by reason of the curvature of the bridge. In order that the tapes or bands 74-79 will be under substantially uniform tension, some means for compensating for variation in distance normal to and between the shaft 56 and the bridge along the length of the shaft is necessary. The problem is further complicated by the requirement that the curvature of the bridge part 52 corresponds to the curvature of the discs 42. Since there are different model sizes of printing wheels, the bridge curvatures will vary according to the size of the printing wheel. This means that the degree of variation in distances between the shaft along its length and the bridge referred to above will be different for different models of printing wheels.

I employ a straight shaft 56 and vary the sizes of the friction wheels. However, in each frame there is used a pair of wheels of the same diameter. Referring to FIG. 2, it may be understood that wheels 63 and 64 are of substantially identical diameter. Wheels 62 and 65 are of the same diameter and this is the circumstance with respect to wheels 61 and 66. Thus, the diameter of the friction wheel is progressively larger from the midpoint of the shaft 56 outward to .an extremity 57 thereof and in opposite directions. The diameter of the friction wheel of each identical pair will be selected to compensate for the variation in the distance along a line normal to the shaft 56 between the bridge 52 and said shaft so that the printing band carried on said wheel will be tightly installed.

Thus, the invention makes it possible for users of the carton marking systems to maintain different diameter printing wheels on hand for different jobs. The invention enables stocking of the different bridge parts 52 of different curvatures and pairs of friction wheels of identical diameter. Where a printing wheel of a specific diameter is to be used, the numbers 40 installed are provided with a bridge 52 which corresponds in curvature to the curvature of the printing Wheel. Then, pairs of friction wheels are mounted on the shaft 56, the diameters of which are dictated by the curvature of the bridge part used so that the printing bands will under uniform tension. Thus, the numberer may have four or six or even eight printing bands and there will be a pair of friction wheels of identical diameter for each pair of bands. The friction wheels of largest diameter will be at the ends of the shaft 56 and the smaller diameter pair of friction wheels will be on opposite sides of the midpoint of the shaft 56. Because of the recourse to pairs of wheels of identical diameter and suitably coded or marked for use, the user of the printing wheel 20 will be enabled to install the friction wheels of different diameter on the shaft 56 without error in locating the same. Obviously, the bands used on the same wheels of a pair will be of the same size.

The hub diameters of the friction wheels will depend upon the curvature of the bridge 52 which, in turn, will depend upon the diameter of the printing wheel. This is apparent since the curvature of the bridge 52 conforms to the curvature of the plate 42. As for the printing bands, there need be no variation in diameter between them because of their elastic character. Thus, the diameter for the bands in unstretched condition is selected which will assure that the band will fit any of the friction wheels and still remain in proper taut printing condition when stretched for mounting on the wheel.

The operation of the carton marking system shown in FIG. 1 and the printing wheel 20 with its numberers should be readily understood from the foregoing discussion as well as my Patent No. 2,634,676. This invention has been distinctly pointed out in the appended claims with the invention of invoking a liberal construction of the language thereof commensurate with the progress in the arts and sciences contributed thereby.

I claim:

1. In a printing wheel of the character described which mounts like adjustable numbering devices between a pair of circular plates and each numbering device has type faces protruding beyond the perimeter of the wheel for printing as the wheel is rolled upon a surface, a numbering device having a frame open at one end thereof and a bridge member secured across said open end proximate to the perimeter of the wheel, a straight shape removably journalled in the frame spaced from said bridge member, a plturality of friction Wheels freely rotatable on said shaft, each of said friction wheels having one of a plurality of substantially similar continuous elastic bands of printing type extending over said friction wheel and the bridge member, said bridge member being curved to follow the curvature of said wheel, said friction wheels all having mounting holes for said shaft of the same diameter albeit said wheels varying in diameter along the length of the shaft for maintaining the printing bands under substantially uniform tension, there being multiple pairs of such friction wheels with the wheels of a specific pair being substantially similar in diameter thereof albeit the pairs having different diameter wheels, the diameters of such wheels increasing progressively in an outward direction from the midpoint of said shaft.

2. A numbering device as described in claim 1 in which there is a wheel from each similar diameter pair on opposite sides of the midpoint of said shaft.

3. In a numberer for use in a printing wheel of the character described and having a U-shaped frame positioned therein with the open end adjacent to the perimeter of the printing wheel, a curved bridge secured across the open end of the frame, a straight axle removably journalled at opposite ends thereof in the frame and spaced from the bridge, plural pairs of friction wheels having substantially identical mounting holes mounted on the shaft for free rotary movement, and elastic type bands having substantially similar diameters mounted around the bridge and the respective wheels, said bands having raised surfaces that extend beyond the perimeter of the printing wheel, the individual wheels of each pair being equal in diameter albeit the diameters of the pairs are unequal, the wheel diameters decreasing References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,114,379 4/1938 Hamant 101-35 2,634,676 4/1953 McKay 10'1111 2,716,379 8/1955 Pitt 101111 X 2,832,284 4/1958 Farkas 101111 2,909,991 10/1959 Farkas 10l111 X 3,208,375 9/1965 Worth 101-35 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner. DAVID KLEIN, Examiner.

P. R. WOODS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A PRINTING WHEEL OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED WHICH MOUNTS LIKE ADJUSTABLE NUMBERING DEVICES BETWEEN A PAIR OF CIRCULAR PLATES AND EACH NUMBERING DEVICE HAS TYPE FACES PROTRUDING BEYOND THE PERIMETER OF THE WHEEL FOR PRINTING AS THE WHEEL IS ROLLED UPON A SURFACE, A NUMBERING DEVICE HAVING A FRAME OPEN AT ONE END THEREOF AND A BRIDGE MEMBER SECURED ACROSS SAID OPEN END PROXIMATE TO THE PERIMETER OF THE WHEEL, A STRAIGHT SHAPE REMOVABLY JOURNALLED IN THE FRAME SPACED FROM SAID BRIDGE MEMBER, A PLURALITY OF FRICTION WHEELS FREELY ROTATABLE ON SAID SHAFT, EACH OF SAID FRICTION WHEELS HAVING ONE OF A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR CONTINUOUS ELASTIC BANDS OF PRINTING TYPE EXTENDING OVER SAID FRICTION WHEEL AND THE BRIDGE MEMBER, SAID BRIDGE MEMBER BEING CURVED TO FOLLOW THE CURVATURE OF SAID WHEEL, SAID FRICTION WHEELS ALL HAVING MOUNTING HOLES FOR SAID SHAFT OF THE SAME DIAMETER ALBEIT SAID WHEEL VARYING IN DIAMETER ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE SHAFT FOR MAINTAINING THE PRINTING BANDS UNDER SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM TENSION, THERE BEING MULTIPLE PAIRS OF SUCH FRICTION WHEELS WITH THE WHEELS OF A SPECIFIC PAIR BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR IN DIAMETER THEREOF ALBIET THE PAIRS HAVING DIFFERENT DIAMETER WHEELS, THE DIAMETERS OF SUCH WHEELS INCREASING PROGRESSIVELY IN AN OUTWARD DIRECTION FROM THE MIDPOINT OF SAID SHAFT. 